RESIDENTS are being urged to attend a 'Save Our Poole Green Belt' meeting, organised by the Dorset Campaign to Protect Rural England (CPRE).

The meeting, scheduled for this evening, has been arranged partly in response to the recent Poole Local Plan Review consultation.

Dorset CPRE chairman Terry Stewart said: "Poole has probably got the greatest environmental limits of any town in Britain, with the sea on the south, Poole Bay on the west, solid Bournemouth development to the east and European protected Dorset heathlands and green belt to the north.

"So Poole does not have any spare land to build on."

The Poole Local Plan Review public consultation, which finished last month and set out more than 50 possible housing sites, will eventually help shape development across Poole for the next 17 years.

Civic officials say the town needs to build an additional 5,000 homes by 2033.

Borough of Poole's (BOP) current Core Strategy already sets out the authority's approach to ensuring 10,000 homes are built by 2026 - but of the 14,200 new homes needed by 2033, just 9,200 are able to be developed on existing sites, the council says.

So planning officials are considering meeting the 5,000 new homes shortfall in a number of ways; including fitting more housing on existing sites; allowing flats to be built in more places; constructing taller residential blocks in some parts of the town centre; or expanding the town outwards into the surrounding countryside.

This latter options includes proposals for a number of large housing developments on the green belt.

Developers have already launched their own public consultation on plans to build 2,500 new homes at Canford Park, an area of green belt land opposite Canford Park Arena, Magna Road.

The public protest meeting takes place at Bearwood Community Centre, King John Avenue, Bearwood from 7pm.

Organisers say it is open to all.